Among all of those factors, there's one pattern that Moss
highlights: Happy retirees live smack in the middle of their
available resources.

"When it comes to home values, vacations, restaurants, cars, and
shopping, happy retirees have found the sweet spot in the
middle," Moss writes. "Nothing low-rent, but not high-end either.
They're not spending lavishly — but they're also not depriving
themselves. They've struck a balance that's right for them."

Research has found that it's not how
much money you spend, but the way you choose to spend it, that
most affects your happiness levels. Retirees who aren't
struggling under artificially strict budgets, or expanding their
spending to absorb every single dollar available, are presumably
prioritizing the things that mean the most to them, and cutting
back on spending where their dollars mean the least — an approach
that could benefit any of us.